Day of Fishing with Smucker's Snackation #Smuckers #sponsored

*This is a sponsored post from Smucker's and the #Snackation campaign. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. 

Summer is coming to end and we celebrated by taking a trip to our local lake and taking a Snackation. We were teaching our son about fishing and making our own power bait by mixing a few items and he asked the curious question, "Is there power bait for kids?" So I made my own version of power bait for kids, Flax Power Balls with flax cereal, seeds, nuts, dried fruit and Smucker's jam. You can read the recipe here.

The day we went fishing it was 100 degrees outside so we did a little swimming as well as fishing. Making sure we stay hydrated I also wanted to keep our energy levels high with our Flax Power Balls. They were perfect for one handed snacking.

We were not catching any fish in the lake. We agreed maybe that it was the fact that there was only a small percentage of water than normal due to the terrible drought in CA so we changed up our bait a bit to see what would happen. My son put some of his Flax Power Ball onto the hook and cast as far as he could.

We did get a few nibbles but not enough to catch any fish. We did however capture the attention of a flock of geese. Oh my can geese be aggressive with food, especially something as tasty as a sweet flax power ball. They surrounded us and quacked at us very loudly! My son was giggling so much and I shared with him one of my stories I tell all the time, the time I was bitten by a goose as I ran from it cookie in hand when I was little. My son noticed that one of the geese had a hurt foot and hopped on one leg, he wanted to share some of his snack with another creature that was needing a Snackation. It is moments like this that are priceless and we will talk  about over and over.

It was a long hike back to the car being tired and hot but we were energized from our snacks. We finished them all and I plan to head back to Walmart to get ingredients for my next Smucker's creation for our next adventure.

Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

It's almost back to school time here in the Seattle area for my grandchildren. It's been a really good summer for them, their mom has kept them busy with fun activities that they have loved, but it's time to get ready for the school year ahead.

For some reason, peanut butter cookies always make me think of elementary school. It must be because my own mother packed them in my lunch on occasion, and I can still recall how wonderful they smelled, and how delicious they tasted. Good memories for sure.

This recipe for Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies is from Martha Stewart, and it's very quick and easy. They always turn out just crispy enough, but just soft enough to melt in your mouth. Pair them with a glass of milk, and they are pretty near perfect.

I know I'll be making a lot of  these cookies to tuck in lunch bags, and have on hand for afterschool snacks for my grandchildren. And if you have any leftover, they keep well in an air tight container for up to a week.

Recipe for Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat peanut butter, sugar, and butter until smooth. Beat in egg. Gradually add flour mixture, beating to combine.
3. Pinch off dough by the tablespoon; roll into balls. Place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Using a fork, press balls in a crisscross pattern, flattening to a 1/2-inch thickness.
4. Bake cookies, rotating halfway through, until lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Back To School Sandwich Ideas and Nature’s Harvest® Sandwich Art Photo Contest #sponsored

*The information and coupons have been provided by Nature’s Harvest® so that I could try the product and share my thoughts and information about Nature’s Harvest® bread. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Nature’s Harvest® bread.

Back to School is here in my house! We have had our first week of school with great success. Part of that success I believe is eating a healthy breakfast and a healthy lunch. Healthy food can fuel a learning mind to help kids stay focused. This is our first year packing school lunch since my son has just started kindergarten. I was so excited at the thought of making fun an tasty sandwiches to put in his lunchbox. 

I wanted to make a sandwich that had many flavors in it to give it a meal between to delicious pieces of bread taste. I started with one of my sons favorite dips I make, spinach dip with cream cheese. My spinach dip has garlic and onions in it, I find it to be a tasty way to get my son to eat them without him realizing it.

Next I added sliced tomatoes, ham and thinly sliced cucumbers. I am using Nature’s Harvest®18 Grains & Seeds whole grain bread in my sandwich. My son likes the seeds on the sides of the bread, I like that it has 8 grams of whole grains per slice.

To celebrate Back to School season Nature’s Harvest® is hosting a Nature’s Harvest® Sandwich Art Photo Contest from August 24^th to September 6^th parents can visit the Nature’s Harvest® Facebook Page to submit a photo of their sandwich art creations, using Nature’s Harvest® bread, for the chance to win fun prizes!  One grand prize winner will receive a “kitchen crash” from Celebrity Chef Kelsey Nixon, where she’ll cook sandwich-centric meals and provide tips to the winner’s family!

Nature’s Harvest® bread is available to consumers nationwide and come in delicious varieties including:

o   100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bread

o   Honey Wheat Made with Whole Grain Bread

o   Butter Top Made With Whole Grain White Bread

o   Butter Top Made with Whole Grain Wheat Bread

Each variety of Nature’s Harvest® Bread is baked with at least 8 grams of whole grains per serving which will put them well on their way to consuming 32-40 grams per day which is recommended by U.S. Dietary Guidelines.

My son added his own creation of a sandwich with the ingredients I was using. He said it was his turn to be a sandwich creator! He made a sandwich using Nature’s Harvest® bread covered in cream cheese with ham and sliced grapes in it. It was actually very tasty! So proud of my little chef.

This contest is a fun way to get your kids involved with the idea of healthy eating by letting them help you create sandwich art for their school lunch. What are your ideas for a creative and tasty sandwich?

Smucker's Snackation: Getting ready for our Fishing Trip #Smuckers #Sponsored

*This is a sponsored post from Smucker's and the #Snackation campaign. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

My son loves to be outside. Anytime we have a chance to go to the lake or river in our area we take it. We are lucky to live in a part of California that has Folsom Lake and the American River very close by. This summer we decided we would take a day to go fishing and show our son how to bait a hook.

We have been prepping a bait mixture we make to go fishing that we call power balls. Its a mix of worms, power bait and a secret ingredient to catch fish. My son asked about his snacks for the lake and if there was a human Power Ball he could have. This made me giggle but he did have a point. He wanted a one hand grab and eat treat that he could enjoy while on the lake waiting for a fish to bite.

We headed to Walmart, our go to spot for good prices on ingredients we need for baking and snacks. I wanted to make something that had fruit, nuts and grains in it for his Power Ball snacks. I enjoy baking with Smucker's Jams and had seen a similar recipe for granola bars on their website that I wanted to try to create my own spin on. I decided to make two separate flavors with their own jams and nuts in them for a delicious flavor using one of my favorite flax cereals as a base instead of granola.

My recipe is an easy one and turns out so delicious. You can add the dried fruits, nuts and seeds that you like to create your own version. I made two batches of the Flax Power Balls. One has Smucker's Apricot, cashews, dried cranberries and chia seeds. The other batch has Smucker's Grape, sunflower seeds, golden raisins and flax seeds.

Recipe for Smucker's Snackation Flax Power Balls:

2 Cups of Flax Cereal
1 Cup of Smucker's Jam
1/4 Cup of Nuts
1/4 Cup of Dried Fruit
1 tbsp. of Chia Seeds or Flax Seeds

Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Roll into small balls, place in 350 degree oven for 15 min or until slightly browned. Let cool and enjoy!

Now that we have our power balls for the fish bait and the Flax Power Balls for our snacks we are ready to pack up the car and head to the lake. If you are planning a fun outing and need Snackation ideas head to Walmart to see what you can create with Smucker's brand items.

Check back with us next week for the post where we will be going to the lake to test our power ball bait and see if our Flax Power Balls keep us full and energized while we spend the day in the sun fishing.

Raspberry Cobbler Recipe

This summer seems like it has just flown by, doesn't it? Pretty soon school will start, and two of my grandsons will be starting kindergarten this year. I can't believe these little guys are each five years old, they still seem like babies to me in so many ways.

But I'm still hanging onto summer as long as I can, and making fruit desserts with all that summer fruit still in the markets. Raspberries are a favorite with my family, so I decided to make this delicious Raspberry Cobbler for us all.

This is a super easy recipe, and you can substitute other berries if you don't have raspberries, or do a combination of different kinds. I love making this as a dessert, and then having any leftovers for breakfast the next morning.

When I was a kid, my parents always topped fruit desserts with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, and it's a tradition that I'm more than happy to carry on.

Recipe for Raspberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh raspberries 

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease  8” square ceramic baking dish.

Place berries in prepared pan. Drizzle with lemon juice.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until well-blended. Mix in dry ingredients until mixture resembles crumbs. Drop dough evenly on top of berries.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until top is lightly browned and fruit is bubbly.

 

Serves 6.